How I overcame homelessness to help others

A former rough sleeper who battled drug addiction and spent years without a permanent home is now helping other rough sleepers in west London. Darren Skeete, 48, said he first tried drugs aged 12 and then his life spiralled into addiction to crack cocaine, cannabis and MDMA. "I never got seen. Like, as much as I say I didn't want people to see me, you're a part of an unseen society," he said, adding: "It's just a cold world out there." Now, he plans to study integrative counselling at university to help other rough sleepers and people with drug problems as part of his work as a peer worker with Kensington and Chelsea Council's Rough Sleeper Dual Diagnosis Service (RSDDS). He told the LDRS he made money by "robbing, thieving, stealing, manipulating, lying and cheating" and delivering parcels around central London, a role which he says was dangerous, given his drug addiction. He said he first experienced homelessness aged 16 after he fled turmoil and issues at home, spending four weeks living in a homeless hostel. He returned home until he was 18, when he was given a tenancy to a council flat. "I had times where I slept on the street, I had times where I've slept in cars, times where